Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Japan will be the host nation of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games have been postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the nation's official debut in 1912, Japanese athletes had appeared at every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except for two editions; they were not invited to the 1948 Summer Olympics in London because of the nation's role in World War II, and were also part of the United States-led boycott, when Moscow hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Competitors
The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games. Note that reserves in field hockey, football, and handball are not counted:| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
| Archery | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Athletics | 10 | 5 | 15 |
| Baseball | 24 | — | 24 |
| Basketball | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Boxing | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Canoeing | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| Cycling | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Diving | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Equestrian | TBD | TBD | 9 |
| Field hockey | 16 | 16 | 32 |
| Football | 18 | 18 | 36 |
| Gymnastics | 5 | 11 | 16 |
| Handball | 14 | 14 | 28 |
| Judo | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Karate | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Modern pentathlon | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Rugby sevens | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Sailing | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| Shooting | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Softball | — | 15 | 15 |
| Sport climbing | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Surfing | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Swimming | 12 | 11 | 23 |
| Table tennis | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Taekwondo | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Volleyball | 14 | 14 | 28 |
| Water polo | 11 | 11 | 22 |
| Wrestling | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Total | 210 | 198 | 417 |
Archery
Japan fielded six archers at the Games, as the host nation is automatically entitled to use the men's and women's team quota places.;Men
;Women
;Mixed
Athletics
Japanese athletes further achieved the entry standards, either by qualifying time or by world ranking, in the following track and field events : The team will be selected based on the results of the 2020 Japan Championships and once an athlete wins a medal in race walking and marathon, or attains the top eight position in track and field at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.Four marathon runners were the first set of Japanese track and field athletes being selected for the Games, with a top-two finish of their respective races at the Grand Championship in Tokyo on September 15, 2019. By winning the gold medals at the World Championships, race walkers Toshikazu Yamanishi and London 2012 Olympian Yusuke Suzuki were officially added to the track and field roster. Suguru Osako and Mao Ichiyama completed the nation's marathon team lineup at the Nagoya and Lake Biwa Marathon on March 8, 2020.
;Track & road events
;Men
;Women
Baseball
automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.;Team roster
- Men's team event – 1 team of 24 players
Basketball
Men's tournament
Japan men's basketball team automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.;Team roster
- Men's team event – 1 team of 12 players
Women's tournament
;Team roster
- Women's team event – 1 team of 12 players
Boxing
Canoeing
Slalom
Being the host nation, Japan has been awarded one boat each in all four classes. On October 20, 2019, the slalom canoeists were officially selected to the host nation's roster at the conclusion of the NHK Slalom International Cup, with Rio 2016 bronze medalist Takuya Haneda remarkably going to his fourth straight Olympics.Sprint
Being the host nation, Japan has been awarded a minimum of three boats, with one each in the men's C-1 1000 m, women's C-1 200 m, and women's K-1 500 m. The men's K-4 500 m boat was added to the team roster with a top-ten finish at the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final ; FB = Qualify to final B
Cycling
Road
Japan entered a squad of four riders to compete in their respective Olympic road races. Two of them filled out the places reserved for the host nation, while the remaining male and female rider earned a slot each by finishing in the top 50 and top 22 in the UCI World Ranking.| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
| Men's road race | |||
| Men's road race | |||
| Women's road race | |||
| Women's time trial | |||
| Women's road race |
Track
Following the completion of the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Japanese riders accumulated spots for both men and women in the sprint, keirin, and omnium, as well as the women's madison, based on their country's results in the final UCI Olympic rankings.Topping the podium in the women's omnium at the 2020 Worlds, Yumi Kajihara became the first Japanese rider to guarantee a spot on the host nation's track cycling team for the Games. Five more members on the squad were named on June 4, 2020, with sprint riders Yudai Nitta and Yuta Wakimoto booking their spots for the second Olympics.
;Sprint
;Keirin
| Athlete | Event | 1st Round | Repechage | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Rank | Rank | Rank | Rank | Rank |
| Yudai Nitta | Men's keirin | |||||
| Yuta Wakimoto | Men's keirin | |||||
| Yuka Kobayashi | Women's keirin |
;Omnium
;Madison
| Athlete | Event | Points | Laps | Rank |
| Yumi Kajihara Kisato Nakamura | Women's madison |
Mountain biking
As the host nation, Japanese mountain bikers have already received a quota place each per gender at their disposal for the Games. The mountain biking team was officially named to the host nation's roster on June 5, 2020, with Kohei Yamamoto booking his fourth consecutive trip to the Games on the men's side.| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
| Kohei Yamamoto | Men's cross-country | ||
| Miho Imai | Women's cross-country |
Diving
Japan, as the host nation, is automatically entitled to places in all synchronized diving events, but athletes for individual events must qualify through their own performances at 2019 FINA World Championships, the 2019 Asian Cup, and the 2020 FINA World Cup series.Five-time Olympian Ken Terauchi and his Rio 2016 partner Sho Sakai became the first Japanese divers to be selected to the squad after finishing seventh in the men's synchronized springboard at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
;Men
;Women
Equestrian
Japan, as the host nation, automatically received a team of three riders in each of the three sporting disciplines: dressage, eventing, and jumping.Dressage
Qualification Legend: Q = Qualified for the final; q = Qualified for the final as a lucky loserEventing
Jumping
Field hockey
;SummaryMen's tournament
As the host nation, Japan men's field hockey team qualified for the Olympics by virtue of obtaining a world ranking equal to or better than thirtieth place by the end of 2018, or not finish lower than sixth at the 2018 Asian Games.;Team roster
- Men's team event – 1 team of 16 players
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Women's tournament
As the host nation, Japan women's field hockey team qualified for the Olympics by virtue of obtaining a world ranking equal to or better than thirtieth place by the end of 2018, or not finish lower than sixth at the 2018 Asian Games.;Team roster
- Women's team event – 1 team of 16 players
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Football
Men's tournament
Japan men's football team automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.;Team roster
- Men's team event – 1 team of 18 players
Women's tournament
;Team roster
- Women's team event – 1 team of 18 players
Gymnastics
Artistic
Japan fielded a full squad of four gymnasts each in both the men's and women artistic gymnastics events, respectively. The men's team secured a berth in the team all-around by winning a bronze at the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar, while the women's team claimed one of the nine spots available at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.;Men
;Team
;Women
;Team
Rhythmic
As the host nation, Japan automatically received a guaranteed place in the group all-around competition at the Games. One rhythmic gymnast was added to the roster by finishing in the top sixteen of the individual all-around at the 2019 World Championships in Baku.Trampoline
Japan qualified one gymnast each for the men's and women's trampoline by finishing in the top eight, respectively, at the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo.Handball
Men's tournament
Japan men's handball team automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.;Team roster
- Men's team event – 1 team of 14 players
Women's tournament
;Team roster
- Women's team event – 1 team of 14 players
Judo
On November 24, 2019, Akira Sone became the first judoka to be selected to the host nation's squad for the Games, following her triumph at the IJF Grand Slam Cup in Osaka. Twelve more judoka were officially named to the roster on February 27, 2020, with Shohei Ono looking to defend his Olympic title in the men's 73-kg division on the home soil.
;Men
;Women
;Mixed
Karate
As the host nation, Japanese karateka have already received eight quota places at their disposal for the Games. With the cancellation of the last qualifying tournaments before the April 6, 2020 cutoff because of the coronavirus pandemic, World Karate Federation officially named the Japanese karateka to take up the host nation places based on the country's selection criteria. Among the country's karateka were three-time world champion Ryo Kiyuna in the men's individual kata and multiple world medalist Ayumi Uekusa in the women's +61-kg kumite.;Men
;Women
Modern pentathlon
Japanese athletes qualified for the following spots to compete in modern pentathlon. Rio 2016 Olympians Shōhei Iwamoto and Natsumi Tomonaga confirmed places each in the men's and women's event, respectively, with the former finishing fourth and the latter second among those eligible for Olympic qualification at the 2019 Asia & Oceania Championships in Kunming, China.Rugby sevens
Men's tournament
Japan men's rugby sevens team automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.;Team roster
- Men's team event – 1 team of 12 players
Women's tournament
;Team roster
- Women's team event – 1 team of 12 players
Sailing
At the end of 2019 season, the Japanese Olympic Committee announced the first set of sailors to compete at the Enoshima regatta, including multiple world medalists Ai Kondo and Miho Yoshioka in the women's 470 class and three-time Olympian Makoto Tomizawa in men's windsurfing. The 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 crews were added to the roster on February 15, 2020, with windsurfer Yuki Sunaga and Laser Radial sailor Manami Doi joining them two weeks later upon the completion of their respective class-associated Worlds.
;Men
;Women
;Mixed
M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race
Shooting
As the host nation, Japan has been guaranteed a minimum of twelve quota places with one in each of the individual events. Additionally, a shooter qualified for one event may compete in others without affecting the quotas, as long as they obtained a minimum qualifying score by 30 April 2020.;Men
;Women
;Mixed
Softball
automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.;Team roster
- Women's team event – 1 team of 15 players
Sport climbing
Japan, as the host nation, received a guaranteed place each in the gender-based combined events, unless a maximum of two men and two women were selected to the team based on competition results.Tomoa Narasaki and Akiyo Noguchi booked their spots on the host nation's team, with a successful podium finish each in the men's and women's combined event at the 2019 IFSC World Championships in Hachioji. In November 2019, the International Sport Climbing Association and the Japan Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Association confirmed Kai Harada and Miho Nonaka as Olympic-qualified sport climbers, occupying a place each reserved for the host nation in their respective events.
Surfing
Japan sent three surfers to compete in their respective shortboard races at the Games. Shun Murakami and Shino Matsuda secured a qualification slot each for their nation, as the highest-ranked and last remaining surfers from Asia, at the 2019 ISA World Surfing Games in Miyazaki. Meanwhile, American-born Kanoa Igarashi finished within the top ten of those eligible for qualification in the World Surf League rankings to join Murakami and Matsuda on the host nation's roster.Swimming
Japanese swimmers further achieved qualifying standards in the following events, and potentially 1 at the Olympic Selection Time ): To assure their selection to the Olympic team, swimmers must finish in the top two of each individual event under both the federation's required standard and a FINA-A qualifying cut at the Japanese Championships and Olympic Trials in Tokyo and at the Japan Open in Kanagawa.By winning individual gold medals in the medley double at the 2019 FINA World Championships, Daiya Seto became the first Japanese swimmer to be directly selected to the Olympic team for Tokyo 2020.
;Men
;Women
Table tennis
Japan entered six athletes into the table tennis competition at the Games, as the host nation was automatically entitled to use quota places each in the men's and women's teams. Moreover, an additional berth was awarded to the Japanese table tennis players competing in the inaugural mixed doubles by advancing to the semifinal stage of the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Zhengzhou.The host nation's table tennis players were officially named on January 6, 2020, with Rio 2016 bronze medalist Jun Mizutani leading them to his fourth straight Games.
;Men
;Women
;Mixed
Taekwondo
As the host nation, Japanese taekwondo practitioners have already received four quota places, two men and two women, at their disposal for the Games. On 9 February 2020, the Japanese Olympic Committee nominated the four athletes to take up the host nation places, with Mayu Hamada leading them to her third consecutive Games.Volleyball
Beach
As the host nation, Japan received a guaranteed place for each gender.Indoor
Men's tournament
Japan men's volleyball team automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.;Team roster
- Men's team event – 1 team of 12 players
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Women's tournament
Japan women's volleyball team automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.;Team roster
- Women's team event – 1 team of 12 players
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Water polo
Men's tournament
Japan men's water polo team automatically qualified for the Olympics as the host nation.;Team roster
- Men's team event – 1 team of 11 players
Women's tournament
;Team roster
- Women's team event – 1 team of 11 players
Wrestling
;Men's freestyle
;Men's Greco-Roman
;Women's freestyle